The Red Line driver who lost control of his train before it took off from the Braintree station with about 50 passengers on board has been suspended without pay and MBTA officials are moving to fire him, said the head of the Boston Carmen's Union.

A digest of news stories from around New England.

Maine man gets 8 years for posing as police officer to coerce prostitutes for sex [Portland Press Herald]

 

MBTA suspends Red Line driver who lost control of train without pay for 30 days; T reportedly seeks to fire him [Boston Herald] Photo at left, video below

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Stanley Rosenberg
Byron Hefner 

New Hampshire man killed in high-speed chase over weekend reportedly had been posing as Hampton police officer [Union Leader]

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Tom Brady
Donald Trump 

A child abuse investigation led to the bodies of two young children inside a commercial storage unit in Northern California, along with a starving, injured 9-year-old at a house about 140 miles away, authorities said Tuesday.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A child abuse investigation led to the bodies of two young children inside a commercial storage unit in Northern California, along with a starving, injured 9-year-old at a house about 140 miles away, authorities said Tuesday.

The 3-year-old girl and 6-year-old boy were found dead Friday at a storage facility in Redding, a city of 91,000 about 300 miles north of San Francisco.

A commercial storage unit facility is shown Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015, where two children were found dead in Redding, Calif. (Andreas Fuhrmann/Record Searchlight via AP) 

The investigation began with a call about a possible child abuse case in the small Northern California town of Quincy.

On Friday, authorities found the starving 9-year-old at a Quincy home, according to a news release from the Plumas County Sheriff's Office. The unidentified girl was taken to a hospital. No details on her condition were available Tuesday.

Sheriff's officials later arrested a 17-year-old boy and 39-year-old woman on abuse allegations related to the 9-year-old. Each remained jailed Tuesday on $1 million bail. The two were being held on suspicion of felony child abuse, torture and mayhem.

Attorneys Douglas Prouty, who represents the 39-year-old, and Robert Zernich, who represents the teen, both declined to comment. The Associated Press typically does not identify abuse victims; it is not naming the teen or the woman because their relationship to the children is unclear.

The investigation then led authorities about 140 miles northwest, to the Redding storage facility where they found the bodies. A woman who answered the phone there Tuesday declined to comment.

Redding Police Lt. Pete Brindley wouldn't say whether the two children were killed in the storage unit or elsewhere. No other details were released.

Meanwhile, south of San Francisco, authorities searched a home in Salinas, where the teen and woman recently lived. They did not say whether they found anything.

Social services had investigated the 39-year-old and her family within the last year for general neglect, said Elliott Robinson, director of social services for Monterey County.

Robinson's office filed the death reports for the two children found in Redding. He declined to comment further.

Brindley said he expects more details to be released later Tuesday.

This is the last regularly-scheduled meeting of the City Council this year.

CHICOPEE - The City Council will discuss a plan to spend about $562,300 to make emergency repairs to the stained glass windows and other parts of the City Hall's auditorium on Tuesday.

The Council will hold its last meeting of the year starting at 7:15 p.m. in City Hall. There are a total of 126 items on the agenda.

This will also be the final meeting for two members who will not be returning in January, long-term member and Council President George R. Moreau and Gerard Roy, who represents Ward 9.

Among the items on the agenda is a proposal to spend money, which will come from an account funded through Charter Cable, to make repairs to failing stained glass windows and falling plaster in the auditorium of City Hall. The money is to come from the Charter Cable account because Mayor Richard J. Kos plans to eventually turn the auditorium into a meeting room with full television access so all meetings can be televised live.

In July, the city hired Dietz and Company, of Springfield, for $342,000 to examine City Hall to try to find a cause for the problems and recommend repairs.

Also on the agenda is a proposal to spend more than $1.1 million to purchase a variety of equipment, including two dump trucks and a street sweeper, for the Department of Public Works. That money is expected to be reimbursed through state Chapter 90 grant funds which are used to pave streets and purchase equipment.

The Republican and Masslive will report of the meeting live in the comments section below.

I-91 will be reduced by one lane in each direction.

SPRINGFIELD - The Massachusetts Department of Transportation plans to implement the major lane and exit shutdowns for the Interstate 91 viaduct rehabilitation starting 5:30 p.m. on Sunday.

In general, I-91 will be reduced by one in each direction with two travel lanes remaining open in each direction for the duration of the project south of the Interstate 291 Interchange, MassDOT said.

The $183.3 million project is planned to rehabilitate about 2.5 miles of elevated Interstate 91 built in the 1960s. It opened 45 years ago this week in December of 1970.

The project website at www.mass.gov/massdot/I91ViaductRehab has maps and detours.

During this stage of construction, the inner travel lanes north and south along the median will be closed for deck replacement. The center lanes in both directions will be closed and all traffice will be shifted to the outermost lanes, using the areas currently occupied by the shoulder and outside travel lane, MassDOT announced.

This is the way lanes will be set up through the late fall of 2016.

At that point, the traffic will shift to the inside lanes while the outside lanes are rebuilt.

All work is expected to be completed in December 2017.

MassDOT and its contractors say they'll be watching carefully in the early stages of this month's lane closures checking for bottlenecks and unforeseen snarls. The start of actual construction will follow the lane closures by about two weeks, MassDOT has said.

Work will be done overnight.

Other important reminders:

•  The 40 MPH reduced speed limit in the construction zone (and 45 MPH limit approaching the zone) will continue to be enforced by state police.
• Fines for speeding will be doubled.

• During construction, the north entrance to the north parking garage below the viaduct will be closed. The north exit will remain open, but only right turns will be permitted out of the garage, providing access onto East Columbus Avenue.

Details on closures implemented at 5:30 p.m. Sunday:  During the following closures, the contractor will grind asphalt and paint new lane markings in preparation for the permanent lane closures :

• Closure of two lanes on I-91 North: A single lane of traffic will be directed around the marking removal and application operations, to the left or right as required, from about Union Street to the Route 20 - Plainfield Street overpass.
• Ramp closures on the northbound side of I-91 will include the on-ramps from Union and State streets, which will remain closed for the duration of the deck replacement work.
• Off-ramps at Exit 8 to I-291 East and Exit 9 to Route 20 will be closed temporarily as operations require in those ramp areas, with traffic detoured to the off-ramp at Exit 10.
• Closure of lanes on I-91 South: A single lane of traffic will be directed around Sunday night's work. Ramp closures on the southbound side of I-91 will include the off-ramps at Exit 7 to Memorial Bridge and downtown, and Exit 6 to Union Street and Hall of Fame Avenue, and the on-ramp from the Route 20-Birnie Avenue Connector, all of which will remain closed for the duration of the deck replacement work.
• Closure of Exits 1A and 2A from I-291 West to I-91 South: During the marking operations, traffic will follow the signed detour routes. These will ramps will re-open upon completion of the marking operations:

• To access I-91 South: From I-291 West, take Exit 2B and follow signs for Dwight Street. Turn left on Dwight Street, then turn right on State Street. Turn left on Main, then turn right on Bliss. Turn right onto East Columbus Avenue. Turn left on State Street, left on West Columbus Avenue/Hall of Fame Avenue, and bear left to merge onto I-91 South.
• To access Chestnut Street: From I-291 West, take Exit 2B and follow signs for Dwight Street. Turn right on Dwight Street, then turn right on Bond Street to access Chestnut Street.

Long-term ramp closures:
The following on- and off-ramps will be closed beginning on Sunday for safety and operational reasons, and to expedite construction. They will remain closed through late fall 2017:

• Birnie Avenue connector (closed since October 2015) Union Street on-ramp to I-91 North, State Street on-ramp to I-91 North
• Exit 7 off-ramp from I-91 South

• Exit 6 off-ramp from I-91 South
• Route 20 connector to I-91 South

MassDOT built a new West Columbus Avenue-Birnie Avenue off-ramp  which is signed as temporary Exit 7-6 for I-91 southbound traffic. The new exit leads to downtown Springfield, the Memorial Bridge, and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Watch out for the new stop lights installed. Many drivers have been blowing right through them.

MassDOT has made detour routes and maps, available in English and Spanish, at the Traffic page of the project website available here  www.massdot.state.ma.us/i91viaductrehab

Some Texas lawmakers suggested Tuesday that Syrian refugees take lie-detector tests to weed out potential extremists as state leaders defended suing the U.S. government in so far unsuccessful efforts to keep families fleeing the war-torn country out of the state.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Some Texas lawmakers suggested Tuesday that Syrian refugees take lie-detector tests to weed out potential extremists as state leaders defended suing the U.S. government in so far unsuccessful efforts to keep families fleeing the war-torn country out of the state.

The idea of a polygraph was endorsed as having "value" by Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw, even while he told members of the Texas Legislature that states have no role vetting refugees. One lawmaker pushing for polygraphs compared it to police officers taking lie-detector exams during the hiring process.

"If we can do it for law enforcement to qualify certain law enforcement positons, it may be something we can consider," Democratic state Rep. Richard Pena Raymond said.

He later referred to the two suspects in the San Bernardino attacks, saying "I'm willing to bet those two people in California wouldn't have wanted to take the polygraph." Neither Tashfeen Malik, a Pakistani woman, nor her husband were refugees.

Nearly 30 governors across the U.S. have vowed to block Syrian refugees since the Paris attacks last month. But no state has taken as aggressive a stance as Texas, which took the Obama administration to court earlier this month over claims that federal officials and resettlement agencies haven't shared information about arriving refugees.

U.S. District Judge David Godbey last week refused to immediately block resettlements in Texas. He said talk of extremists possibly infiltrating Syrian refugees were based on "largely speculative hearsay" submitted by Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Texas Health and Human Services Commissioner Chris Traylor said his office has sought names and ages of refugees being resettled in Texas. Resettlement agencies have said that information has been provided.

Texas' lawsuit has so far failed to turn back 21 Syrian refugees, many of them children and teenagers, who resettled in Houston and Dallas last week. Traylor said more could be on the way, though none are expected to arrive within the next few weeks.

Some Republicans on the panel said the refugees take a toll on the communities where they resettle, from children enrolling in schools to hospital emergency room visits. Heather Reynolds, president of Catholic Charities, told lawmakers that 96 percent of her refugees are off assistance within six months.

"They're not coming here to get welfare assistance. They're leaving because they have no choice," Democratic state Rep. Elliot Naishtat said.

The accident happened about 7:30 p.m., state police said, on Interstate 91, southbound, in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD - State police say they are trying to clear a four-car pileup on I-91 southbound near Baystate Medical Center.

The accident occurred about 7:30 p.m., state police said.

State police said a state police cruiser was involved, but there was no indication of serious injuries.

But Rosenberg declined to commit to endorsing Bryon Hefner in a Democratic primary.

State Senate President Stan Rosenberg, D-Amherst, said his fiance has the right to consider a run for state Senate - but Rosenberg would not commit to endorsing him in a Democratic primary.

Rosenberg's fiance Bryon Hefner told Politico Massachusetts on Monday that he was considering a run for the state Senate seat being vacated by state Sen. Anthony Petruccelli, an East Boston Democrat.

"Bryon has the right, like anyone else, to consider running for public office. He's doing his due diligence," Rosenberg said. "We'll face that question if he decides to run."

Rosenberg made the comments during a public interview with Boston Globe reporter Josh Miller at a Political Happy Hour event at Suffolk University.

Other Democrats already said they plan to run, or are considering running, including State Rep. Jay Livingstone. If Rosenberg were to endorse in a Democratic primary, it could be politically awkward for him, as the leader of the body in which the new senator will serve.

Hefner and Rosenberg have a home in Amherst and an apartment on Beacon Hill, which is in Petrucelli's district. Boston Magazine reported Tuesday that Hefner is registered to vote in Amherst, although that would not make a run illegal under state law, as long as Hefner is a resident of Beacon Hill on Election Day.

Rosenberg is generally private about his personal life. Asked about a conversation he had with Hefner about Hefner's run, Rosenberg declined to discuss it. "It was a private conversation," Rosenberg said. Asked whether he thinks Hefner will run, Rosenberg said the question "is not on my mind."

Hefner previously caused political headaches for Rosenberg, when Rosenberg was preparing to ascend to the presidency and Hefner mocked the outgoing Senate president on social media. Hefner resigned his job at a communications firm after the media reported about his involvement in Senate affairs. Rosenberg said at the time that he was enforcing a "firewall" between his public and private lives. He said Tuesday that the firewall "absolutely" still exists.

On other issues, Rosenberg declined to say why the Senate left $10 million out of a budget bill to fund pay raises for University of Massachusetts faculty. "Since this is on the record, I can't actually tell you what happened," Rosenberg said.

Rosenberg said he is "conflicted" about whether to legalize recreational marijuana use, a question likely to be on the 2016 ballot.

Asked about the perception of a conflict of interest after he recently took a trip to Israel funded by a Jewish lobbying organization, Rosenberg said the trip was a study tour about economic, religious and geopolitical matters that has nothing to do with legislation that the Jewish Community Relations Council is lobbying for.

Rosenberg criticized the state's ethics regulations, which advise lawmakers to avoid "the possibility of the appearance of a conflict of interest." "It's way overreaching," Rosenberg said.

Holyoke's new tax rate is $19.12 per $1,000 valuation for residential property and $39.86 per $1,000 valuation for business property.

HOLYOKE -- The City Council set a new tax rate Tuesday that will increase by $27 the yearly bill for the average single-family homeowner and avoids breaching the $40 rate for commercial property business that officials warned councilors to heed.

"We've got to take care of both homeowners and business....It's a balancing act," Councilor at Large Peter R. Tallman said.

The new tax rate is $19.12 per $1,000 valuation for residential property and $39.86 per $1,000 valuation for business property.

The previous tax rate was $19.04 per $1,000 valuation for residential property and $39.93 per $1,000 valuation for commercial property.

Under the new rate, the bill for the average single-family homeowner would be $3,442, which is an increase of $27 above the average bill, $3,415, for such properties under the previous tax rate.

Those bills are based on calculations from the Board of Assessors using the latest value of the average single-family home, $179,795, compared to that value a year ago, which was $179,340.

Chamber of commerce officials urged councilors to keep the business tax rate below $40, a threshold they described as psychologically important, given that the business tax rate at $39-plus was already among the state's highest.

The rate the council approved was an amendment proposed by Tallman to a rate proposed by Ward 5 Councilor Linda L. Vacon. Vacon's proposal also was an amendment she made to the original motion offered by Councilor at Large Rebecca Lisi.

Bills reflecting the new rate will be mailed to home and business property owners by Jan 1.

The city has 10,046 taxable parcels of property.

The vote to set the new tax rate was 8 yes and 3 no.

Councilors who voted in favor were Joseph M. McGiverin, Gordon P. Alexander, David K. Bartley, Howard B. Greaney Jr., James M. Leahy, Gladys Lebron-Martinez, Todd A. McGee and Tallman.

Council President Kevin A. Jourdain and councilors Vacon and Lisi voted against.

Four members of the 15-member council were absent: Jossie M. Valentin, Jennifer E. Chateauneuf, Anthony Soto and Daniel B. Bresnahan.

A follow up story with additional detail about the Holyoke City Council setting the new tax rate will be published later this week.

Energy stocks rose as the price of crude oil jumped 3 percent, and banks moved higher a day ahead of an expected rate increase by the Federal Reserve.

By MARLEY JAY

NEW YORK -- Stocks posted their biggest gains in more than a week Tuesday, led by rising energy companies and banks.

The market was higher all day, building on a late gain the day before. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose for the second day in a row, something that hadn't happened since early November. Energy stocks rose as the price of crude oil jumped 3 percent, and banks moved higher a day ahead of an expected rate increase by the Federal Reserve.

The Dow Jones industrial average added 156.41 points, or 0.9 percent, to 17,524.91. The S&P 500 increased 21.47 points, or 1.1 percent, to 2,043.41. The Nasdaq composite index gained 43.13 points, or 0.9 percent, to 4,995.36.

Stocks have been on a bumpy ride ever since a six-week winning streak ended in early November. They dropped sharply in mid-November, then bounced back the following week, but failed to build consistently on those gains.

Last week, a plunge in the price of oil set off a sharp drop in energy stocks, which dragged the broader market down to its second-worst weekly performance of 2015. Now with more encouraging signs on the economy, many expect the Fed to begin returning borrowing costs back toward normal levels with its first interest rate increase in nine years.

The government said early Tuesday that prices for a variety of goods and services rose last month, including plane tickets and medical care. Overall prices were unchanged from last year because food and energy prices are weak, but "core inflation," which leaves out energy and food, rose 0.2 percent. That's the best result in more than a year.

Michelle Girard, chief U.S. economist for RBS, said the reassuring signal on inflation should remove any last barriers to the Fed to raise rates. The inflation report gave the Fed "a green light to take action tomorrow," Girard said. The Fed's key short-term interest rate has been near zero for seven years.

Energy stocks were the top-performing sector as U.S. crude rose $1.04, or 2.9 percent, to $37.35 a barrel in New York. That's on top of a 2 percent gain on Monday. Oil is still down 30 percent in 2015 and is at its lowest in more than six years. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, rose 53 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $38.45 a barrel in London.

That helped the energy sector, which has struggled throughout 2015. Exxon Mobil had its best day since late August. Its shares jumped $3.40, or 4.5 percent, to $79.43. Offshore drillers Ensco added $1.21, or 8 percent, to $16.40 and Transocean rose 74 cents, or 5.9 percent, to $13.38.

Natural gas continued to tumble. Its price gas slid 7.2 cents, or 3.8 percent, to $1.822 per 1,000 cubic feet. That's the lowest price since March 1999, not adjusting for inflation. Industrial demand for natural gas has been weak, and the warm weather means most Americans haven't needed as much heat for their homes as they usually do this time of year.

In other energy trading, wholesale gasoline fell 1.1 cents, or 0.9 percent, to $1.2444 a gallon and heating oil rose 1.9 cents, or 1.7 percent, to $1.147 a gallon.

Bank stocks climbed as investors anticipated that higher interest rates would help banks become more profitable by charging more for loans. JPMorgan Chase rose $1.83, or 2.8 percent, to $66.10 and Wells Fargo gained $1.71, or 3.2 percent, to $54.91.

Investors dipped a toe back into the high-yield bond market after several days of selling. The iShares high yield corporate bond ETF rose $1.29, or 1.6 percent, to $80.12 and the SPDR Barclays high yield bond ETF rose 39 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $33.81.

High yield bonds have been attractive to investors in recent years because their returns are high. But investors are becoming worried that more companies could default.

Guy LeBas, chief fixed income strategist at Janney Montgomery Scott, said plunging oil prices were a big contributor to the recent decline. And he thinks more pain is coming.

"Buyers of high yield bonds will be, on average, pretty happy five years from now," he said. "But I think they're going to be pretty unhappy in the next three months."

Prices for U.S. government bonds, which are considered extremely low-risk, fell. The yield on the 10-year note rose to 2.27 percent from 2.23 percent late Monday.

Gold fell $1.80 to $1,061.60 an ounce, while silver gained 7.5 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $13.77 an ounce. Copper fell 5.5 cents, or 2.6 percent, to $2.06 per pound.

The euro fell to $1.0917 from $1.0998. The dollar rose to 121.73 yen from 120.84 yen on Monday.

Two Missouri legislators propose that universities revoke the scholarships of athletes if they go on strike. Another proposes mandatory classes on free speech for all students. And state legislative leaders say funding for the University of Missouri could be cut.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Two Missouri legislators propose that universities revoke the scholarships of athletes if they go on strike. Another proposes mandatory classes on free speech for all students. And state legislative leaders say funding for the University of Missouri could be cut.

Those are a few examples of the backlash after members of the university's football team threatened to strike and joined protests over the administration's handling of racial tensions on campus. Top university officials later resigned.

"The perception is that there's a lot of things that went wrong, and there's going to be a price to pay," Republican Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard said Tuesday.

Last month a graduate student went on a hunger strike, the football team supported the student and the head football coach backed his players. The next day former university system President Tim Wolfe stepped down. The Missouri protests prompted demonstrations of support at universities around the country.

The university "coddled the students and gave them everything they wanted," said Republican Rep. Kurt Bahr, who co-sponsored the bill on student athletes' scholarships. He said the university should have revoked football players' scholarships if they didn't practice or play.

University of Missouri System spokesman John Fougere in an emailed statement said the university is "committed to working closely and rebuilding confidence with our state legislators in the upcoming session."

The backlash comes at a time when the University of Missouri's relationship with the Legislature already was tense. The school this past year faced criticism from some GOP lawmakers who questioned agreements between the Columbia campus and a local Planned Parenthood clinic that had offered medication-induced abortions. Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature.

A major lever they could use to punish the state's flagship university is money.

Funding for the University of Missouri is "going to take a haircut," Senate leader Richard said.

About 15 percent of the system's budget this fiscal year came from state appropriations.

Republican House Majority Leader Mike Cierpiot said lawmakers should be sensitive to the feelings of minority students protesting on campus but also need to stress the university's mission to educate.

"They want to find out what's going on and how we can get Missouri out of the headlines," Cierpiot said, referring to national media attention.

Some of the proposals suggested by legislators are more symbolic that real. Bahr said his goal for the bill to punish student athletes was to show the university that some lawmakers disagree with how leadership handled the campus unrest.

The proposals have drawn criticism from some Democrats.

The bill to punish athletes "seeks to further solidify and legalize institutional racism by targeting black athletes for exercising their constitutional rights to free speech and reducing them to the status of subjugated livestock," Missouri Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Rep. Brandon Ellington said in a statement.

Republican Rep. Dean Dohrman said his bill to require students in public colleges to take a class on freedom of speech was in part motivated by a communications professor who tried to stop a student photographer from taking pictures of protesters. Her actions were widely criticized by advocates for freedom of the press and speech, and she later apologized.

Senate Democratic Leader Joe Keaveny said it's not up to the Legislature to fix issues at the University of Missouri.

"I'm not about to begin to run that university, and I don't think anybody in Jefferson City should begin to run that university," he said.

A verdict has been reached in the case of Philip Chism, the teenager accused of killing and raping high school teacher Colleen Ritzer.

A verdict has been reached in the case of Philip Chism, the teenager accused of killing and raping high school teacher Colleen Ritzer: A jury found him guilty of first degree murder by premeditation and extreme atrocity, and aggravated rape, and armed robbery.

Essex County prosecutors say Chism, 16, followed Ritzer, a 24-year-old teacher at Danvers High School, into the bathroom in Oct. 2013 and killed her. Chism was 14 at the time and now faces life in prison.

His attorney attempted to make the case for insanity."A psychiatrist who testified for the defense said Chism was hearing voices and in the throes of a psychotic episode when he killed Ritzer," according to WBUR. 

Next date for #PhilipChism trial: 12/22 for pre-sentencing conference. Chism not required to be here for it. #fox25

-- Bob Ward Fox25 (@Bward3) December 15, 2015

Jill Harmacinski, a staff reporter for the Eagle Tribune, was in the courtroom for the reading of the verdict. The jury started deliberating on Monday.

#PhilipChism found guilty of first degree murder, aggravated rape, one count, and armed robbery @EagleTrib @salemnews

-- Jill Harmacinski (@EagleTribJill) December 15, 2015

A passive park off South Branch Parkway in East Forest Park will be named in honor of Master Sgt. Thomas Sullivan, killed in attacks on two military sites in Chattanooga, Tennessee in July.

SPRINGFIELD - Mayor Domenic J. Sarno on Friday will formally announce plans to name a park in East Forest Park in memory of Springfield native Marine Gunnery Sgt. Thomas J. Sullivan, killed in the July 16 attacks that killed five U.S. servicemen in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The formal announcement is scheduled at 2:15 p.m. Friday at the park site located off South Branch Parkway near Watershops Ponds, also known as Lake Massasoit.

"I thought, as with the neighborhood, how appropriate it is to name that South Branch Parkway passive park and waterway area after our late hometown hero, and how appropriate it is in the heart of the neighborhood he grew up in," Sarno said Wednesday.

City officials and family members are expected to attend the announcement on Friday.

A community service crew from the Western Massachusetts Correctional Alcohol Center is shown in 2013, helping out with a footbridge project on park land off South Branch Parkway near Watershops Pond in Springfield. The park is slated to be named in memory of Maine Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Sullivan.File photo / The Republican

Sarno said that Tommy and his brother Joe used to carry over paddle boats to the waterway area now being named in Thomas Sullivan's honor. Sarno said that naming the park area after Tommy is something he has had in mind for awhile, and he conferred with Joe.

There have been improvements done at the park in recent years, and the city has applied for a state grant for additional improvements. The proposed grant improvements include a kayak launch area, a small gazebo, picnic tables, some new trees and landscaping.

FBI Director James Comey said on Wednesday that the attacks on two military sites in Chattanooga, that killed Sullivan and four other servicemen, were motivated by terrorism propaganda. The attacks were carried out by 24-year-old Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez.

William Porter's trial was the first test of prosecutors' case against six officers in a city struggling to rein in violent crime.

By JULIET LINDERMAN
and DAVID DISHNEAU

BALTIMORE -- A judge declared a mistrial Wednesday after jurors couldn't reach a decision in the manslaughter trial of a Baltimore police officer charged in the death of Freddie Gray, whose injury in police custody sparked weeks of protests and fueled the nation's scrutiny of how police treat black suspects.

William Porter's trial was the first test of prosecutors' case against six officers in a city struggling to rein in violent crime. The case hinged not on what Porter did, but what prosecutors said he didn't do. He was accused of failing to get medical help for a critically wounded Gray and was charged with manslaughter, assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment.

The charges carried maximum prison terms totaling 25 years. It was not immediately clear whether Porter would be tried again. An administrative hearing was scheduled for Thursday to discuss a possible retrial date.

Wednesday was the third day of deliberations for the jury of seven women and five men. They deliberated for a total of about 15 hours. On Tuesday, they indicated they were deadlocked, but the judge told them to keep working.

The jurors made several requests since they began deliberating Monday. The judge has granted some and denied others, saying they were not part of the evidence. On Wednesday, they asked for a copy of a transcript from a witness, but the judge refused.

Before Williams dismissed the jurors, he told them, "You have clearly been diligent."

During deliberations Wednesday, a handful of protesters gathered outside the courthouse, chanting "send those killer cops to jail." Upon learning of the mistrial, people chanted "No justice, no peace" and the demonstration spilled from the sidewalk and onto the street. Police officers lined the streets outside the courthouse.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake repeated calls for Baltimore residents to respect the outcome of the trial.

"In the coming days, if some choose to demonstrate peacefully to express their opinion, that is their constitutional right. I urge everyone to remember that collectively, our reaction needs to be one of respect for our neighborhoods, and for the residents and businesses of our city," she said in a statement.

Gray, who was arrested while fleeing from police, died April 19, a week after his neck was broken while the seven-block trip turned into a 45-minute journey around West Baltimore. The autopsy concluded that Gray probably suffered the injury from being slammed against the compartment's metal wall during cornering or braking.

Gray was black. Porter is also black, as are two of the other five officers charged.

It wasn't clear how the mistrial would affect the state's cases against the other officers. Prosecutors had planned to use Porter's testimony against two of his fellow officers.

Several other recent cases against police officers charged in deadly confrontations with black men have ended similarly. In August, a North Carolina jury deadlocked in the trial of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Officer Randall Kerrick. Prosecutors said they won't retry the white officer for voluntary manslaughter in the September 2013 shooting death of Jonathan Ferrell, who was unarmed.

In June, a South Carolina jury couldn't reach a verdict in the retrial of former Eutawville Police Chief Richard Combs, who is white. His lawyer said Combs acted in self-defense in the May 2011 shooting of Bernard Bailey, who was unarmed.

Combs pleaded guilty in September to misconduct in office. He was sentenced to a year of home detention.

Prosecutors in Porter's trial argued he was criminally negligent for ignoring a Baltimore Police Department policy requiring officers to seat belt prisoners, and for not calling an ambulance immediately after Gray indicated he needed medical help.

Porter, who was driving a patrol car the day Gray was arrested, was present at five of the van's six stops during its circuitous trip.

The defense said Porter went beyond the call of duty in helping the handcuffed and shackled prisoner move from the floor of the van to a bench in the wagon, and in telling the van driver and a supervisor that Gray said he needed to go to a hospital. The defense mainly cast blame on the van driver, Officer Caesar Goodson, whose trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 6.

Hechenbleikner will begin Feb. 1.

 AMHERST - Town officials have hired retired Reading Town Manager and former Norwell interim Town Administrator Peter I. Hechenbleikner to become the town's temporary manager beginning Feb. 1.

The Select Board last week voted to offer the position to Mark H. Rees, who has been city manager in Portland, Maine and authorize board member Andrew Steinberg to begin contract negotiations.

But Rees, of North Andover, is also in the process of looking for other jobs.

The board authorized Steinberg to talk to Hechenbleikner as well.

 "We have been so fortunate to have our current leadership team in place during this challenging period," board chairwoman Alisa Brewer said in a press release

 "As we grieve our recent loss of Town Manager John P. Musante, and as our Finance Director Sanford "Sandy" M. Pooler prepares to leave for Arlington, we continue forward by welcoming our first Economic Development Director, Geoffrey Kravitz, and now Peter Hechenbleikner."

In a statement Hechenbleikner of Malden said he's excited to be appointed. "Amherst has some very exciting initiatives going on, and I look forward to working with the Select Board and senior staff and Department Heads on making progress on these initiatives, as well as managing the routine affairs of the Town."

David Ziomek has been serving as interim since September after the death of Musante and plans to return to his assistant town manager and director of Conservation and Development position.

 "I look forward to working collaboratively with Peter to forward the goals of the Select Board, and to work with other Department Heads to support him as he learns about our community," he said in a statement.

Details of his contract will be released at the board's Dec. 21 meeting and available online. The board, meanwhile,  will be meeting with Bernard Lynch, principal at Community Paradigm Associates, LLC. That agency is helping in the search for a permanent manager. 

Assistant District Attorney Amal Bala said even if the jury in Daniel Leary's Springfield trial had an option for a lesser offense it would not have chosen it.

SPRINGFIELD - Daniel Leary of Southwick was in Hampden Superior Court Tuesday as his lawyer seeks to get his conviction in a 2011 fatality reduced.

Leary was sentenced in July 2013 to five to seven years in state prison after a jury found him guilty of motor vehicle homicide while under the influence of alcohol and negligent driving.

Leary, 37 at the time of sentencing, was found guilty in the death of David Laduzenski in West Springfield in March 2011.

Laduzenski, 29, a Somerville resident and West Springfield native, was home visiting family and friends when he was hit while standing in a friend's driveway on March 25, 2011.

About two dozen family and friends of the victim crowded into one side of Judge Edward J. McDonough's courtroom Tuesday. About two dozen family and friends of Leary were on the other side of the courtroom.

McDonough took the matter under advisement. The statute under which Leary was convicted is a felony. If the charge is reduced to remove the drunken driving component it is a misdemeanor.

Barbara Munro, Leary's current lawyer, and Assistant District Attorney Amal Bala both agreed the trial judge made an error in not instructing the jury at the 2013 trial that they could convict Leary of a lesser offense.

They said that lesser option would have been motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation, without the component of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Munro told McDonough she believed he had the option of reducing the verdict to the lesser charge or ordering a new trial.

Bala told McDonough the prosecution may agree the added instruction should - under case law - have been given, but it does not agree the verdict should be reduced or a new trial ordered.

He argued the evidence for the conviction which included drunken driving was overwhelming. He said there is no reason to think the jury would have disbelieved all evidence of intoxication.

Therefore, Bala argued, the error in instructions qualified as harmless and therefore did not have to be rectified.

Bala said at the trial then Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni and Assistant District Attorney Melissa Doran had requested the instruction on the lesser offense.

He said Leary's trial lawyers, Aaron Wilson and Shana Wilson, had opposed giving the instruction on the lesser offense and Judge Tina S. Page did not give it.

The reasons for the three officials' departures from the Holyoke Soldiers' Home were not immediately clear.

A related story was published at 6:01 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015: State Rep. Aaron Vega says state support of Holyoke Soldiers' Home questioned

HOLYOKE -- Leadership at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home took a hit as Superintendent Paul Barabani, Deputy Superintendent John Paradis and Steven E. Como, chairman of the board of trustees, all announced intentions to leave, Barabani said.

Barabani, 64, who has been superintendent for four years, said his decision was an intent to retire in January. He said Paradis and Como resigned and that all of the decisions were announced this week but he declined to explain why.

"I'm really not at liberty to get into any of these deliberations, not at this time. I did express my intent to retire in the near future. That would be likely in January," said Barabani, who retired in 2002 as a colonel after 32 years in the Army National Guard.

Barabani said he would remain until the federal Veterans Administration does its annual assessment of the Soldiers' Home in January.

He referred further questions, such as whether the officials' departures were over disputes with the state, to the state Department of Veterans Services. Barabani became superintendent in February 2011.

Paradis and Como couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

The Republican and MassLive.com were waiting for a return call from Joe Truschelli, spokesman with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The seven-member board of trustees oversees the Soldiers' Home, a state-funded health care facility for veterans established in 1952 on hill on Cherry Street overlooking Interstate 91.

As of a few years ago, the Soldiers' Home served 2,200 veterans a year in its in- and out-patient facilities with a budget $19.4 million and 356 employees.

The trustees are Western Massachusetts residents appointed by the governor. Besides Como, of Berkshire County, board members are Brian Q. Corridan, Margaret E. Oglesby Daniel J. Smith and John J. Fitzgerald, of Hampden County, Ben Cluff, of Franklin County and Spiros Hatiras, of Hampshire County.

According to the state Health and Human Services website, "The mission of the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke is to provide care with honor and dignity and the highest quality of personal health care services to Massachusetts Veterans. Our vision is to be recognized as the health care provider of choice for all Veterans residing in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts."

State Rep. Aaron Vega said a search committee should be formed to choose a new Holyoke Soldiers' Home superintendent.

Updated at 7:18 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015 to clarify that it is the board of trustees that is authorized to appoint the Holyoke Soldiers' Home superintendent. But state Rep. Aaron Vega said he still favors having a search committee appointed to solicit candidates and increase community involvement.

This story elaborates on an article published at 5:19 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015: Holyoke Soldiers' Home losing Superintendent Paul Barabani, other top officials

HOLYOKE -- State Rep. Aaron M. Vega said Wednesday complaints had arisen recently questioning state support of the Holyoke Soldiers' Home, but the announcements of departures of three top officials, including Superintendent Paul Barabani, still were surprising.

"I was surprised. I had heard that there were some issues," said Vega, D-Holyoke.

Barabani, without providing further details, said Wednesday that himself, Deputy Superintendent John Paradis and Steven E. Como, chairman of the board of trustees, all announced intentions to leave this week.

Vega said in a phone interview he wanted to speak with Barabani before discussing specifics in relation to complaints about state support of the Soldiers' Home.

Barabani, 64, who has been superintendent for four years, said his decision was an intent to retire in January. He said Paradis and Como resigned and that all of the decisions were announced this week.

Vega said that though the board of trustees is authorized to appoint the Soldiers' Home superintendent, he will urge that instead a search committee be established to solicit candidates.

"I think getting community involvement is good. Also, the veterans there come from all over, so everyone has a stake in the Soldiers' Home, not just Holyoke," Vega said.

Barabani said he would remain until the federal Veterans Administration does its annual assessment of the Soldiers' Home in January.

He referred further questions, such as whether the officials' departures were over disputes with the state, to the state Department of Veterans Services. Barabani became superintendent in February 2011.

The seven-member board of trustees oversees the Soldiers' Home, a state-funded health care facility for veterans established in 1952 on hill on Cherry Street overlooking Interstate 91.

The superintendent of schools in Swampscott said in a letter to families Wednesday she has accepted Edward Rozmiarek's resignation as principal of Swampscott High "effective immediately" due to allegations of inappropriate conduct involving school computers.

A digest of news stories from around New England.
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Saugus couple to serve jail time after allowing underage drinking in home [Boston Globe]

Charles Jaynes in 1997 

Swampscott High School Principal Edward Rozmiarek resigns following allegations of inappropriate use of school computers [Salem News]

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Boston Marathon bombing survivor, Kevin White of Bolton, dies from undetermined causes, funeral home confirms [Telegram & Gazette]

Gerald White 

Maine high school art teacher charged with possession of child pornography [Portland Press Herald] Photo at left

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WPTZ-TV report aired Oct. 22

Norm McAllister 

Gov. Charlie Baker nominated Sabbs fora judicial appointment in Springfield District Court.

BOSTON - Western Massachusetts defense attorney Vincent Bongiorni recalled a drug dealing case against one of his clients, which was prosecuted by Patrick Sabbs.

Sabbs, after considering the circumstances of the case, reduced a charge to avoid a mandatory minimum sentence - incurring the anger of the state police.

"A lot of people will do the right thing when it doesn't cost you something," Bongiorni said. "Pat did it when he knew it would."

Bongiorni was one of a handful of supporters who testified before the Governor's Council on Wednesday on behalf of Sabbs' nomination to become a Springfield District Court judge. During two hearings, one in Springfield and one in Boston, no one testified against Sabbs.

The Governor's Council plans to vote on his confirmation next Wednesday.

"Patrick Sabbs is well qualified, has spectacular recommendations and a very compelling story," said Governor's Councilor Michael Albano, of Longmeadow, who has been pushing for Sabbs' confirmation. "He's going to do a good job in Hampden County."

Sabbs currently heads the criminal bureau of the Massachusetts attorney general's Western Massachusetts regional office, a job he took in 2015. Before that, Sabbs, 53, spent 18 years working as a criminal prosecutor with the Hampden County District Attorney's Office. He was previously a television director and producer with WWLP-TV in Chicopee.

Sabbs, who lives in South Hadley, is the son of an air force pilot and an elementary school teacher. Several supporters stressed the compassion he shows as a prosecutor and the respect he shows everyone in the courthouse.

Retired Superior Court Judge Peter Velis said Sabbs "embodies respect." "What's more important than scholarship is the way he treats people," Velis said.

Sabbs, in remarks to the council, noted the humanity of criminal defendants.

Most individuals who come before the court, Sabbs said, "are at a fork in their road of life with the choice of which path to take unclear to them."

"A judge can play an important role in deciding which is the proper path to follow," Sabbs said.

Sabbs said he cannot say how many trials he has prosecuted and how many guilty verdicts he has gotten.

"I do not keep score, because it was not a game, and keeping score was not the point," Sabbs said.

Holyoke District Court Associate Justice Matthew Shea, who used to work with Sabbs in the Hampden County district attorney's office, said Sabbs was fully aware of the impact a criminal charge has on a person.

"Especially when you're prosecuting sexual assault crimes, you can't get your reputation back. No one took it more seriously than Pat Sabbs," Shea said.

Shea said Sabbs would investigate every case and would not hesitate to not bring a case when he did not think it was warranted, or when he thought a charge could not be proven.

"It was not an easy decision to make, but Pat Sabbs was never swayed by anything but the truth and his oath as a prosecutor," Shea said.

As a criminal prosecutor, Sabbs does not have experience trying civil cases. But he said he has made an effort to get up to speed on civil law by reading books on civil procedure, observing civil court sessions and taking continuing legal education courses.

In response to questioning by council members, Sabbs praised community courts as "phenomenally important" to ensure people do not have to travel too far to access a district court. He said he was "not a huge fan" of private "lobby conferences" between a judge, a prosecutor and a defense lawyer in a case, because the conferences lack transparency.

After councilor Jennie Caissie asked about people wearing proper attire in a courtroom, Sabbs said he was taken aback as a young prosecutor by what people wore to court. "Over time, I came to realize that very frequently, this was the best that they had," Sabbs said.

When Caissie asked a question relating to gun laws, Sabbs responded, "I'm more concerned with bad people having illegal guns than with good people having legal guns."

In Massachusetts, Sabbs said he has seen police chiefs who make decisions to deny someone a gun license "in an arbitrary and capricious manner." If a police chief's decision is appealed to the court, Sabbs said, he would want to "protect against those kind of decisions and make my own based on what's in front of me."

The program joins the nonprofit and the Springfield Public Schools to distribute coats to dozens of education partner agencies and homeless shelter representatives. Watch video

More than 1,000 Springfield area homeless children will be much warmer this winter, thanks to the donation of coats, hats and gloves made by Cradles to Crayons, a Massachusetts children's nonprofit,the effort is part of their Gear Up for Winter program. The program joins the nonprofit and the Springfield Public Schools to distribute coats to dozens of education partner agencies and homeless shelter representatives.

During a press conference Wednesday at the Springfield Public School Parent And Community Engagement Center, Sharon Reilly,Executive Director of the organization said that " More than 32,000 families are living in poverty in Hampden County.This partnership is a breakthrough for both of us."

This is not the first venture for the agency as it donated 6,400 school ready backpacks for the Springfield Public Schools' annual back to school event held in August at Blunt Park .